Product Description

Dechen Shak-Dagsay’s voice perfectly captures the sense of boundless compassion and serenity inherent in these prayers to the goddess Tara. Tara Devi is a musically vibrant message of inner peace, universal love and timeless Dharma wisdom accessible to all. A perfect accompaniment to meditation practices, chanting and inner work.

Additional Information

Artist

Dechen Shak-Dagsay

Total Time:

52:29

Reviews

Chris Spector, Midwest Record – April 3, 2013:

“Certainly this sounds like the soundtrack from some art house movie embraced by suburban divorcees not quite ready to make the jump into cougar town, and oddly enough, there’s a lot of pieces that fit together here along that line. A spiritual call to the liberator goddess, this set is a quasi religious set that will strike a real chord in those looking to go within or just get away from the noise of the world for a while. From the dreamy side of new age, this is a solid choice when stressed adults are in need of an accompaniment to lead them through the quiet times.”

DailyOM – April 3, 2013:

“Daughter of a Tibetan Lama, Dechen Shak-Dagsay was raised in a Tibetan community in Switzerland, where her father dedicated himself to preserving their native culture and practices. Shak-Dagsay’s personal quest was the preservation of her culture through music. Passionate about traditional music and folk dancing, and heavily influenced by her father, Shak-Dagsay’s debut, meaning “universal peace,” promotes peace through inner tranquility that moves outward. Her 2006 release focused on world peace, and now her most recent release returns to the internal journey, with individual happiness being the ultimate goal.

The second of the 10 great wisdoms in Hinduism, Tara Devi is a feminine energy, the mother of liberation who represents the virtue of success through work. In extolling productivity Shak-Dagsay highlights the beauty of ordinary life and how it is necessary to achieve happiness. Shak-Dagsay’s guide incorporates the basic principle of guidance in Buddhism. The album opens with “Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels,” which refers to the three things Buddhists look to for guidance: Buddha (the god), Dharma (the teachings), and Sangha (the enlightened community). Shak-Dagsay’s cool, dewy voice is interspersed with flutes to the point where the two sounds almost seamlessly blend into the other. The combination of the two has an effect as cleansing as an early morning rain, which leaves the mind fresh and open for learning and growth.

Though the entire album is a meditation on happiness, “Respectful Praise of the 21 Taras” is the height of the meditation and can be taken alone as a shortened meditation in itself, perfect for a quick burst of focus on a rushed morning. Shak-Dagsay says that the meditation can be done imagining yourself as Tara and generating the wish to attain all her qualities to become her for the benefit of being. Shak-Dagsay repeats the mantra, with her voice varying only slightly in tone as it curls about your ears in blissfully atmospheric eddies, unbothered by the flute. The album closes with the title track, which is a tranquil musical representation of ultimate happiness. Shak-Dagsay’s voice is crisp as a bell, and rings true across a vast sonic plane as she repeats a mantra of peace and joy.”

Music Design – April 3, 2013:

“Listen to the fragile, delicate sound of Dechen Shak-Dagsay’s voice and you will find a wellspring of beauty and spiritual devotion. She sings with a breathy, hushed quality that sets the listener completely at ease, showering them with the serenity and comfort of Tibetan tradition. TARA DEVI is an album of songs and prayers paying respect to the Goddess Tara, offering praise and asking for her protection and blessings. Dechen is backed by the sounds of bansuri and shakuhachi flute, guitar, singing bowls and light synthesizer ambience, giving each piece an ethereal glow that melds with traditional influences of Tibetan musical culture. Of note is her loving and joyous approach to the “Tara Mantra” on the title track.”